Dogs_pop-up

Dogs pop-up card

This is a birthday card for a friend. This person does not own a dog, nor show any particular affinity towards pets. The card has no relevance whatsoever. As the date of this person's birthday is a closely held state secret, I must use my powers of deduction to conclude the day occurs in the last week of June. As I am comfortably ahead of schedule, I intend to mail the package at the beginning of the month to help make the whole month special. Birthdays are so anticlimactic.

The card depicts two dogs. It's a joke. The joke is told over three pages. I've shown the prototype to at least two dozen people and so far none seems to understand the joke. When quizzed, "what was the question?" No one could answer. This concerns me deeply. I'm beginning to think it's an American thing. We do prefer our jokes to be blatant. If cognition is required, then forget about it, it's not a real joke. Although I haven't shown the card to any of my British friends, they have seen the cartoon and I do know they automatically sense something is left out here that makes for a joke, and arriving at that portion that is not explicit is what makes the thing amusing. So now, how do I assure the joke is understood without explaining it? This is a serious problem, innit. At length I decided I must just go ahead and add a page, one that follows the pop-up. On the back of the card is the word "earlier" written on a flap that when lifted shows the two dogs in conversation. So there. I went ahead and explained the joke without actually e-x-p-l-a-i-n-i-n-g it. I feel like such a failure.

So, there you have it. The envelope will be standard made to fit from card stock. The usual thing. Even with its four layers of matt board it's still thin enough to not require any special treatment.

What follows are more photos taken during construction that might give you some idea how this card was put together, if you're interested in that, and honestly, what sane person wouldn't be?

The pug-like dogs were treated as hieroglyphics since its stoic unchanging aspect across the pages contributes to the humor. The backgrounds were created all at once because they're a little bit boring to make and to keep them similar as possible. I wanted to get them out of the way first.

Transition from first to second page

transition between first and second page

That BLAM had to be reworked a few times. Originally I had the arm that drags open the BLAM door running under the background then re-emerging at the door but that didn't work out too well. By bringing it on top the arm had to be covered with brick pattern. Then the dog's head tended to slip under the arm so I attached an extra flap on its head to keep it above the arm that opens the BLAM door and that flap also had to be disguised. There isn't much room to work with at the point of impact. The dog arcs across the page and pretty much takes the whole half page. At last I realized I didn't have to write the word BLAM on just the door, but could also use the space that stores the door. This cheered me because I could make the word larger without going off the page. So I glued a new door directly on top of the old one. Cheesy, I know, but that's the way I roll.

I love, LOVE, LOVE this battered dog. Hahahaha. See, his face is crunched in. That kills me. Awww, poor thing.

This shows the hole in the wall and the extra trouble of drawing bricks on the inside.

Broken bricks strewn around.

This is the part that people don't get, and that makes me sad. So far, it hasn't occurred to anyone I've shown the prototype to ask themselves what the question would have been that this dog is referring to. I mean, come on!

The original half-size prototype can be viewed here.

Comments? Complaints? Bon mots? Japes? Suggestions? Criticism?
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